Magnet
by Ringo-01
Summary: "So what's the story about this time, dude? Conspiracies? Assasinations? Swindling?" Ichigo asked his one-month stalker. "How about try... Time management?" Came the reply and that ever-infuriating smile.  Nice. High school can only get so complicated.
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: I recommend that you readers listen to the song "Magnet Freedom" first before reading this so you can understand the theme of the story more.

www . youtube . com / watch?v = LQTnuMCz_wo

Erm… It's also probably a bad idea for me to start the story with a *spoiler* angst/tragedy type, but hey, it couldn't get any worse than that after now, right? Right?

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><p>Disclaimer:<p>

The title is based on a song of the same name (I love DasokuxClear version best! But if you're looking for crack, GeroxFaneru is simply epic! ;P).

The song excerpt is from "Magnet-Freedom" sung originally by YU & G-to, NicoNico Douga singers. (erm, not sure if I got all the titles down correctly, but that's the gist of it!)

Characters are all from Bleach by Tite Kubo.

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><p><strong>Magnet<strong>

**Chapter 0: Magnet (Freedom)**

_**An introduction to the conclusion.**_

"_Don't show me reality and don't show me the future.  
>If it's just the two of us, it's enough.<br>We drift further apart as we become closer  
>And yet I love you...<br>My heart bursts into fragments."_

**Blood.**

There was so much blood everywhere.

Like the endless river, flowing, tumultuous, drowning him in shock.

A flash of lightning illuminated the dark room, soon followed by the harsh cracking of thunder, along with it brought an image- a memory he guessed, of the past _'or of a past life'_. He didn't know anymore. Nothing else seemed to matter now but to stop the warm liquid from flowing out of the body.

"_Bad things ALWAYS happen during rainy times like these, especially if there's thunder and lightning" the boy solemnly declared, eyes wide in fear and apprehension, clutching onto his safety blanket, further crawling inside his thick wardrobe to block out all the sounds and light on that stormy night._

"_Dun ya worry king, imma stay right 'ere wit' ya, an' keep ya safe 'lways." Another boy solemnly swore, eyes sharp, usual devious grin replaced by a determined line, as he squeezed in together with the other in the wooden compartment._

Another flash of light, another memory, overlapping the other child's with an adult version of the same person. Everything the same, from the words to the facial expression.

"_... keep ya safe 'lways..."_

The following crack of thunder came more slowly, this time changing the grown-up version of the boy into another man. The words remaining similar.

"_Always. I WILL keep you safe always. Will be with you always... I love you." Mouth set into a grim line. Eyes evocative, conveying the truth of the words._

"_... and I love you too." Came the gentle reply from his own lips, head bowing in shy acknowledgement. No sooner after his soft declaration was his face was lifted up to the other's. Closing in together, lips meeting each other, touch soft and warm. Loving._

He cannot do anything else but unsuccessfully try to stifle his broken sobs and he rocked his beloved's body back and forth, tightly embracing as if doing so would keep the blood from flowing.

"No... No, no, no... Please, open your eyes!"

No, he did not want to keep his agony silent. Not anymore. Rage, despair, anguish- all the negative emotions piling up in him, tempestuous, threatening to break free from its already fragile walls.

"Don't! Don't do this to me! Dammit! Open your eyes! OPEN YOUR EYES!"

Roaring his command which went unheard by the person addressed made him even more aware of the reality of his situation.

"No, dammit! You said you'd always be with me! Open your eyes now!"

Clutching the cold, lifeless body closer to himself, he willed the other's eyes open. Fast losing its warmth, he tried to keep the other's body heat by further pressing up close, rubbing his free clammy hand on the shoulders, back, anywhere he could get his hands on in his frantic state, all other thoughts lost to providing warmth to the limp body- his other hand shaking excessively, trying to press down hard on the gaping wound, trying in vain to stop the precious blood from flowing out.

Blood-stained hand returning from ineffectively rubbing heat on the body and reaching out to stroke the other's pale face, holding it closely, looking- searching, observing for any signs of returning life, for even the smallest twitch. But none was to be seen- even as his tears fell on the handsome face, soaking it up fast. Even the usually vibrant hair seemed to have life fading out of it, lying flat on his head, messily framing his face.

"N...No..! Open your eyes! G-Gri...Grimm... GRIMMJOW!'"

Voice breaking, he let the heart-wrenching sobs break free, along with his tears.

"Grimmjow, Grimmjow..."

Repeating the name over and over again, softly kissing his beloved's face as though it could wake him from the horrible nightmare. As though in doing so everything could be made alright. As though every bad thing could be undone. As though it could wake him from the nightmare of this reality and they could continue living their lives, unaware, in love.

Continue dreaming a sweet dream.

His iron grip on his lover tightening even further, if that could even be possible, as footsteps approached them, slowly but surely, until finally it stopped a few paces away from him, pausing as if in deep thought.

"I'm sorry." Came the silent apology from the newcomer.

Head jolting up at the declaration, he came face-to-face with his father. Both wearing a tired, broken expression on their face, one tear-streaked, the other as if unseeing and in a faraway place- as though he were trapped in this sort of living nightmare for quite some time already.

"... Father... How could you... Why?" Tears falling even more upon the sight of his father, the person who caused so much of this anguish. The man he had admired, had looked up to, aimed to be like. He didn't know what to believe in anymore.

"... Forgive me, Ichigo. It is not done yet." Shoulders slouched, shadow covering his face. The usual combed-back hair dropping to his shoulders messily.

Hearing such words struck him speechless. _'There's more to this nightmare?'_ Until he saw his father slowly lifting his arm, making him gasp. The cold, hard metal of the gun glinting in the harsh presence of the lightning.

"I... I'm sorry... I'm doing this for your own good."

He wanted to laugh, to scream in fear of the impending death, to attack in anger. If it was only possible for him to do any of those. But no, he was frozen in place. The desire to live, the desire to die and be with his beloved. Confusion bubbling up in him, making him unable to decide whether to continue treasuring and protecting his life, or be done with it and escape from all the pain he was experiencing.

As the finger moved to the trigger, he was desperately searching for an answer as to why this was happening. As to what he should do. As to what Grimmjow would have done in his place. What Grimmjow would have wanted him to do.

_'No, I have to live. For not only my sake, but his as well. I have to live. He would want that as well. I have to live. I WILL live.'_

Resolve formed, the will to live surged up in him. Gathering his strength, he tried to move, but it seems the strength was still lacking as he was rooted on the spot. Energy drained from his previous bout of adrenaline rush.

_'I guess this is it then...?'_ Smiling forlornly at his lover, disappointed that he could not fulfil his beloved's wish, their promise to each other. He stroked his beloved's face tenderly, lovingly, as if imprinting the last memory before everything vanished into nothingness, and they would be left as nothing more but a terrible memory to the living.

Closing his eyes and whispering a final 'I love you', he once more hugged his lover to him, as though hoping that in death, they would be together once more, and he waited.

Waited for the seemingly inevitable end.

Peaceful in the arms of his beloved, he accepted his fate.

"I'm sorry... I cannot bear to let you go through such a pain of losing your loved one... The same pain which I had felt myself... I'm sorry... I love you, my son."

Eyes opening in shock at the confession, he witnessed the pain in his father's eyes. Of the regret and desperation. Of the determination to protect him from such pain, however twisted his methods might be.

"_Who's the beautiful lady in the picture, father?" The boy sat on his father's lap, legs swinging as he pointed at the picture in the family album._

"_That's your mother, Ichigo." The voice sounded wistful, but more so depressed that the boy could not help but turn to his father in worry._

"_Tha's right, kingy. S' our ma there, Nemu-kaasan. Right, Mayuri-tousan?" Shiro quipped._

"_Yes. That's right, that's your mother, Nemu." Voice patient and gentle, the older man gave a sad smile to the two children._

A final eye contact between father and son, now both crying in realization, then an awkward silence, and finally... Finally, a gunshot rang in the air.

And there was true silence.

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><p>some more AN: Nyahahahaha! Bet ya didn't expect that at the end huh? *grins widely*

Well, this is my Chinese New Year present for you readers~ Hope ya enjoyed! ;D


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes**: A new chappy~! Yeahhhhh~~~ \(^w^)/

Hello, dear readers~! Thanks for all the reviews, faves and alerts! So, the song mood/theme for this chapter would be "YOU" by Yuya Matsushita. Granted, romance will only come in later- in a way the song will be like a premonition of the future things to come-, but since this is still only the first chapter to the real opening of the story, I believe some hyping up would be great and this song just inspires such a mood. That said, I hope you all enjoy this(both the song and the story)~ ^_^

www. youtube. com/watch?v=Dr5tNCXpffw

Much like how I do "The Musician", this story will also have themes for each of its chapters, although this will be paired with a song instead of musical terms. Well then, that's enough from me for now, read on! XD

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><p><strong>Warnings<strong>: Shonen-ai, language, chara OOC-ness

**Disclaimers**:

The title is based on a song of the same name (I love DasokuxClear version best! But if you're looking for crack, GeroxFaneru is simply epic! ;P).

The song translation excerpt is from "YOU" by Yuya Matsushita.

Characters are all from Bleach by Tite Kubo.

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><p><strong>Magnet<strong>

**Chapter 1: YOU**

_**As the wheels of fate turn.**_

"_The countdown of fate begins,  
>as you start running, and you can't stop.<br>Three, two, one- the sun rises in both directions.  
>Show me this remarkable dream."<em>

Dashing madly, orange hair appearing as a bright blur as he raced across the lawn desperately, it was a wonder how his hair retained its stubborn spikes despite going against the wind current the whole time. As the boy began to gradually decrease his speed upon reaching the courtyard, irritation was plastered on his face, warning people to not try and mess with him.

Reaching his destination- the locker area- his eyebrows knit together, severe scowl breaking a bit as he panted and bent down slightly to regain his breath, hands leaning on the locker wall to support himself. Upon regaining composure, he raised his head, glare firmly in place once more as he searched for the cause of his anger. Spotting his unfortunate- or not- target, he strode over to meet said person, steps becoming heavier than needed as he began stomping like a spoiled child, glaring his way through the crowd.

Sensing his hostility, everyone passing by unconsciously made way for him, taking care to not fall in his close perimeter for fear of what he might do in his state of agitation. Finally reaching his intended target, the boy gave a glare so withering, everyone shrunk back. Well, everyone except for the one who caused it. He almost released an animalistic snarl as the other just laughed at him, but stopped himself just in time, and instead gave a low growl, "Why the hell did you just leave me behind? You didn't even wake me up!"

Snickering, the other boy being addressed raised a snow-white eyebrow before giving a lopsided grin and raising his hands, palms facing outwards in a placating manner. "Maa~ King, tha's unfair ya know…"

"And _you know_ how _he_ gets whenever a tardy slip reaches his hands!" Practically foaming in the mouth with suppressed anger, he cut off his winter-counterpart before the other could complete what he was about to say.

"Well I'll be…! Fer ya info, I DID **TRY** to wake ya up, an' wha'd ya do? Bury yerself deeper into th' mattress!" Rolling his eyes and looking to the heavens as if asking for divine intervention, he placed his hands on his hips and then proceeded to reprimand his summer-counterpart, "An' if ya had listn'd the night before, ya wouldn't be havin' this problem now, wouldja? But did ya? Oh nawwwww~ ya kept sayin' 'just one more level' again an' again until 'twas already fuckin' 5 in the mornin', and goin' ta sleep just when teh roosters crow is a VERY GOOD way ta complete yer 9 hours rest a day, yeah?"

Smirking at his triumph, he watched the other's scowl deepen before an exhausted huff was released, followed by the expected words. "…I'm sorry Shiro, I shouldn't have taken it out on you…"

Patting the other's head gently as the summer boy leaned on his shoulder, Shiro sighed aloud, smiling gently in response to his brother's apology, before his tender expression was replaced by a scheming grin. "Yeah, ya shouldn't have lil' bro… So I guess yer gonna hafta do my chores fer me today, eh Tensa?"

"Okay, su-wait. WHAT? NO! No way! That's totally out of the question! Nope, you're not gonna make me! Nuh-uh! Hell no!"

Declining the other's proposition fervently, Tensa slowly began to back away from his older snow twin, searching for a convenient exit while keeping his eyes intently focused on Shiro's movements. Seeing a potential escape route in his left peripheral, he failed to notice that Shiro was already gone from his previous spot, and was now behind him, ready to force him into consenting.

"Hehe, gotcha!" Shiro whispered darkly into his ears. Smirk turning devilish, he hugged his brother tightly from behind with his right arm, while his free left hand wandered around Tensa's torso area for a bit before proceeding to poke him into submission.

"Hyaah! Ah, NO!" Tensa squealed, squirming violently to try and free himself. He knew though, that it was a lost cause. Once Shiro got a hold of something, or in this case, _someone_, the said captive would never be able to free himself unless willingly released.

'Still, it wouldn't hurt to try…'

"Give in, Tensa~ ya know ya won't be able ta beat me in this game~" Shiro taunted in a sing-song manner, chuckling at the other's haplessness. "Say ya'll do it, c'mon~"

Struggling in vain, while at the same time, getting tickled mercilessly, Tensa slowly caved. "Kyahahahha! No-haha- s-stop! Hahahahaha! I-ahahahaa- I said sto-stop! NO! STOPPP! Ah, I ca-can't… anymo-hyaa! Ahaha-no, ah, I-SHIROOOOOOOO!"

Both boys collapsed down on the floor in a heap, with Shiro straddling Tensa, both taking in much-needed air deep into their lungs as they slowly calmed down. Despite having the ruckus end there however, a sizeable amount of audience had already gathered considering how loud they were being. Add to that the sudden realization of what had just happened and their compromising position at present, you'd get a nice, softly-blushing Tensa and Shiro with an evil-'cat-got-the-cream' smirk.

Panting in exhaustion as they recovered their composure, Shiro helped Tensa to his feet and both proceeded to dust each other off, much to the fangirls' pleasure.

Rolling his eyes at the girls, Tensa looked pointedly at Shiro as if saying, _'Pfft. Really? More squeals again today?' _

To which Shiro replied with a disinterested shrug and a slight grimace, keeping eye contact with Tensa, gesturing his thoughts. _'You'd think they would be used to this by now after a month of seeing us like this.'_

"Apparently not, bro." Tensa smirked, voicing aloud their silent conversation. He was about to say more when his attention was caught by a bright blue blur somewhere in the opposite of the locker hall.

Blinking stupidly at the area he initially spotted the dash of color in, he continued to stare curiously and intently at said area searching for the source but found none, only an increase in volume of the group usually hanging out there before the morning bell.

"Whatcha starin' at King?" One eyebrows raised in inquiry when he realized his twin was not paying attention to his chatter, Shiro leaned over Tensa's shoulder to check out what had caught his pair's interest and jokingly told the other, "…the Espada huh? Wha', one a' them owes ya money er somethin'?"

It wouldn't really sound much like a joke to a new student or an outsider though, considering what the image of 'The Espada' was. Hair colors ranging from Apple Green to Baby Pink, one would immediately think that they were a bunch of delinquents, but they couldn't be more wrong. Sure, the school was unique in such a way that as long as you wore the uniform and the ID, you're allowed to do anything you wanted as long as it was legal and won't endanger anyone else- dye your hair, bring e-books instead of the heavy textbooks, even parachuting to school, and the likes. So you see, there are some pretty bizarre students around, but it was all for the fun of it, the motto of the school being: "Live Your Youth Freely", also known as LYYF or '_life'_.

But back to the topic. Despite such a school belief, it would be unavoidable to get some stereotypes, and obnoxiously-colored hair usually equalled to 'delinquents', and was thus the source of the joke. 'The Espada' couldn't be farther from such a concept. A group of 10 students selected from the student cohort yearly to monitor and promote the welfare of the rest of the student body, taking the roles of both Student Council and Student Police. True, they were not the best of role models at times, considering that they are also still students and therefore under the safety of LYYF, but they were there when the students needed them, and they were also there to serve punishment to those who deserved it, and most importantly, they were well-respected by the whole school. In short, they were the student leaders of the school, the lawmakers, the event developers, the representatives to external conferences and such, they even held part of the budget of the school and were also paid for taking on such a role, so in no way would they owe Tensa or anyone else anything.

Arm lightly slung on the other's shoulder, he cackled at his own joke and began to drag his twin with him walking off to their class as the bell for the first period rang, not noticing the curious looks they got from the said group, in particular the intense stare of ice-blue eyes.

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><p>Meanwhile, a few moments before, at the opposite end of the locker hall…<p>

Blue eyes darted back and forth, checking for anything or anyone that could compromise his position. After a few seconds of making sure that he was safe, he began to cautiously approach his unsuspecting target.

Darting from one form of blockade to another, he closed in on his prey, all the while grinning widely under his hoodie jacket- considering his bright blue hair, camouflage was pretty much useless without his hoodie, unless everyone was walking all over the sky, maybe then he wouldn't need to hide it just to do _this_.

A few feet away, he squat-walked behind the huge recycle bins, almost bubbling in excitement as he prepared to lunge at his target, waiting for the ideal timing to make the most damage.

_**3 . . .**_

_A group of cheerleaders walked past, making their usual babble._

_._

_._

_._

_**2 . . .**_

_The janitor crossed the locker hall intersection, metal canisters in his cleaning cart rattling loudly._

_._

_._

_._

_**1 . . .**_

_His target was still preoccupied chatting with the group._

_._

_._

_._

_Closer…_

_._

_._

_._

_Much closer…_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_**NOW!**_

Legs pushing forward, he lunged at his yet unaware target, the force of his thrust propelling him forward. The speed of his movement pushing his hood back, making him appear like a blur of blue. Arms spread open wide, he landed on his target heavily, causing the other to stumble forward, knocking out his breath and giving an "Oof!", before catching himself just on time.

"GOTCHA!" He roared out loud, mirth and playfulness obvious in his voice.

"What the HELL you freakin'… GRIMMJOW! Get offa me ya blue hairy monkey!" The rudely alerted target growled back.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Hey now, hey now, being blue is fine, but who's the hairy monkey, huh?" Receiving nothing but quiet grumbling from the other as Nnoitra tried to push him off his back, he decided to tease the thinner guy further.

"Aw~ did I scare yer skinny ass, Nnoitra, bro?" Laughing out boisterously, Grimmjow continued to hang on Nnoitra's back, licking his lips and giving the other a wet smooch on the cheek, "There, my good morning kiss."

"Eww, gross! What the hell are you doing so early in the morning Grimm! Okay, I take it back. You're a cat! A CAT! Get offa by back you heavy, slobbery kitten!" Slightly irritated at the new dub, Grimmjow held on even tighter, cackling at the other's apparent irritation at having to piggyback him while continuing to avoid his wet kisses.

Had Grimmjow not have been so huge in stature, it would have made him look like a cute cat who fell from the roof and landed on someone's back, claws hanging on for dear life. But as it was, 'cute' definitely did not describe him. True, he wasn't overly tall and muscled, but with the height of 6'1'' and weighing 176 pounds he certainly wasn't that small either.

Deciding to have mercy on the other, Grimmjow let go of his tight grip on Nnoitra, landing nicely on his legs. "Damn, you and your heavy ass! Wha'd ya eat during that one month conference dude? Ya weren't that heavy before." The taller teen glared at him, still continuing to gripe before grinning widely from ear to ear and extending out his fist.

"No need ta be so pissy at me Nnoi, ya know I'm a growin' kid." Grinning back, although not as wide, Grimmjow bumped fists with him and proceeded to greet the group in a similar manner. "Well, I sure did miss y'all. The conference was boring as hell as usual, an' I couldn't even sleep during one, or else I'll get it from the ol' man."

"Yeah, we all had our share of that big bro. Nice to see you still alive and kickin' though~" The green-haired girl replied sympathetically, eyes showing mirth and understanding before everyone burst into excited chatter.

"Heh, it's a WONDER they let ya stay fer a month, wit' ya obviously scarfin' down their food th' whole time." Nnoitra smirked at him.

"What took you so long, though? Usually you finish in just 12 days, two weeks at most." Another one spoke, sienna orbs looking at him in mild curiosity.

"What else could it be Szayel? He most likely missed one session and was punished to stay for the whole month." A dark purple, almost black-haired guy replied, grinning good-naturedly.

"You don't even have to question that, of course he missed a few sessions Kaien, this is Grimmjow we're talking about." At that proclamation, the whole group erupted into raucous laughter.

"Geez, thanks for believing in me you lot, especially you Ulquiorra." Receiving a slight bow in return, he gave the group a friendly glare, laughing with them good-humoredly, and leaning back on the lockers before addressing the rest once again. "So… Anything interesting while I was on holiday?"

Unable to supress a giggle at what was obviously a blatant distortion of the truth, Neliel replied excitedly before winking at Kaien, "There's lots in fact, but this one beats the rest!"

"See the two over there?" Taking over for Nel, Kaien tilted his head towards a pair opposite them at the other end of the locker hall. "What do you think of them?"

Eyes following the indicated direction, Grimmjow first noticed a bright orange spike of hair and a scowling face blushing profusely, followed by a carbon copy of the same image in white, smirking at his colourful counterpart. What got his attention though was their face.

"What the…" Immediately directing his attention towards Kaien and looking back at the two opposite them, Grimmjow was hard-pressed to not let his jaw just drop on the floor in shock. "Ya got any other siblings er twins er clones yer not tellin' me about big bro?"

"Kahahhaha! See? I toldja he'd do tha'! Now, hand over my twenty." Extending his hand out in anticipation, Nnoitra gleefully accepted the twenty from a grumbling Kaien.

Swiping a ten from Nnoitra's palm, Grimmjow winked and countered his protest with a "Ya won th' bet because a' me, I get half a' it.", to which the other could only scowl glumly on, much to the group's amusement. They continued to talk, but ultimately were diverted to where, or rather _whom_, Grimmjow was focused on, in particular the orange-haired twin.

Giving a slight grin, Ulquiorra spoke quietly so that only their group would be able to hear what he said, "Interesting right? The boy looks so much like _that child_…"

At everyone's quiet nod of acknowledgement, Grimmjow replied back in a low voice, "Ulqui, we're still lacking 2 Espadas this year, right?"

Eyeing the twins intently, the group exchanged a small nod towards each other, and Grimmjow smirked in obvious interest as he declared, "What do you guys say we pay a visit to the old man today?"

Orange and white. The twins walked on, oblivious to the interest they had just sparked.

"Perfect. It would be interesting to know what Aizen would think of this." Ulquiorra reached for his mobile phone as the group proceeded to walk to their designated classes, the first period bell ringing its last warning as it faded into the crisp morning air.


End file.
